Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 June 1904 — M'COYS ARRESTED AT LAST [ARTICLE]

M'COYS ARRESTED AT LAST

Warrants Sworn Out for Both the McCoys and Assistant Cashier White.

W. H. E6ER MAKES AFFIDAVIT. Others Follow And Five Warrants Are Served On Therp---Bound Over to the Circuit Court. WHITE IS NOT YET APPREHENDED.

in the McCoy bank matter has reached a fever heat this week, when it became apparent to even the most nearsighted that the McCoys proposed to hold out every dollar’s worth of property possible from their creditors, and W. H. Eger, who had SB,OOO in the wrecked* bank when it closed ite doors, took the initiative and on Wednesday swore out warrants for the arrest of both the McCoys and for Walter White, the assistant cashier. The warrants were issued by Justice Troxell and Constable Christie Vick went to Lafayette on the milk train Wednesday night and arrested Tom.\/ The stbry of the arrest is best told in the following from Thursday morning’s Lafayette Democrat: Thomas J. McCoy is under arrest, charged with embezzlement. He was taken into custody at the Monon depot in this city on the arrival of the milk train last night by Christy H. Vick, constable of Rensselaer, who had come to this city for that purpose. Mr. McCoy had been in Lafajette for a day or two, and had gone to the train last nijfht to meet Georjje P. Haywood and J. F. McHugh, who had been in Rensselaer in his interest through the day. Mr Vick knew Mr. McCoy was here, and came down to get him. The former banker was taken to the office of Chief Harrissou, of the police department by Mr. Vick, and turned over to the department for safe keeping until the departure of the train north at an early hour this morning. Chief Harrisson deputized Mr. Haywood as a special officer of the Metropolitan force, and gave the prisoner into his custody, and assured Constable Vick that Mr. McCoy would be at the milk train in the morning. After a short stay in the oifiee of the chief, McCoy went away with Mr. McHugh and Haywood, and the constable waited in perfect confidence, and at length retired to bed for the night.

There has been trouble brewing for the McCoys ever siuce their bank suspended two or three months ago. The break is constantly found to be worse thun had been suspected. and the feeling of the people has grown intense against the McCoys, father and son It had needed only a move ou the part of any one to precipitate a storm, and the beginning came yesterday afternoon, when W. H. Eger, a hardware merchant of Rensselaer. swore out a warrant for the arrest of Thos. J. McCoy, charging him w ith embezzlement. The warrant was placed in the hands of the constable and he at ohce took the train and came to Lafayette, where he had information McCoy was spending the day. Messrs. Haywood and McHugh, who had beeu in Rensselaer attending to business for McCoy, came down on the train with the constable, but did not Un jw of his presence. “I saw Tom as soon as I got off the train.' said Mr. Vick, at the police headquarters last night. “I went up to him and spoke to him, and then started to read the warrant to him. He stood for a minute, and then McHugh and Haywood came up. They asked what was going on, and Tom told them I was reading a warrant for his arrest. One of them said.‘That will be all right,'and Tom repeated, 'That will be ail right.' He said he would be at the office of Jacob M. Troxell, justice of the peace in Rensselaer, in the morning. I told him that would not do; that I did not do business that way. and Haywood asked me what I was going to do. I said I was going to takwhim to headquarters, and turn him over to the police for safe keeping until my traiu went out. They said that would be all right, and came over to chief Harrlason's office, and ail talked a little, and then the chief told me he would make Mr. Haywood a special officer of the metropolitan police, and he would be responsible for Tom’s surrender to me at the milk train in the morning, That is satisfactory. Ido not think they will deceive me, and I do not want them to, for I am expected to bring Tom back there and I am going to do it.” Constable Vick says the condition of the people in Kensseimer as a result of the collapse of the bank, it pitiful. He tells a number of cases that account for the Intense feeling of animosity on the pert of the vie-, tims. Bger, who swore oat the first warrant, Vink says, lost 18,000 in the hank. He deposited BWJO April 8, and the bank suspended payment, ota April 16. Just as Vick left the office of the justice with the warrant, Joeeph Jackson, a bos driver, who had saved np 81,000 and had it la the bank, came In and made another affidavit. Vick is authority for the statement that there will he many more affidavits made and warrants issued before aooa to-ddy. The feeling against the father, Alfred McCoy, is even more hitter than that against Tom, as it In believed he knew more of the eoadltloa of the bank, and that he should have taken steps to prevent the people from rushing to their rain. Besides, it is said he has assumed an air of dsfiaaee or even Lnso-

lence in his treatment bf people who have been ruined, or who have suffered in the failure of his bauk. All people who have almost revered him for so many years hare only waited for the storm to break. They will pursue him now even more bitterly than they will the son, who has been so careless and frea-hearted as to win an admiration that not even the shadow of a great wrong can wholly eclipse. Tom was brought here Thursday morning on the milk train, accompanied by hia attorneys, Messrs. Haywood and McHugh of Lafayette. News of the arrest had not become general and not more than a half hundred people were at the depot when the train came in. The party got off the train and Tom nodded to a few acquaintances standing near as the party got into a buss and were driven to the office of Dr. Berkley, Tom’s son-in-law, where they all remained a half hour or more, and then went to Justice Troxell’s office and gave bond in the sum of SSOO for his appearance at the preliminary hearing set for 1:30 p. m., in the east court room. In the meantime Alfred McCoy had been arrested and he also gave bond in same amount. Geo, K. Hollingsworth went on Tom’s bond and Addison Parkison on that of the elder McCoy. Quite a crowd gathered about the office of the justice during the fixing up of the bond, and A. McCoy yelled out to them that the “free show would soon be over,” in an insolent tone of voice. One depositor in the crowd remarked that they had paid quite dearly for the little free show they were then enjoying. Before the matter of the first arrest was taken up Thursday afternoon four more warrants were served on them, affidavits made by A. L. Branch, A. K. Yeoman, A. J. Brenner and Joe Jackson, respectively, and all charge embezzlement and taking deposits wheu the bank was known to be insolvent. Branch deposited $97.14 on April 14; Yeoman SSO, April Brenner S3O, April 12; and Jackson SSO, April 15. The bank closed April 18—or April 16, rather, as that day, Saturday, was the last day it was opened for business. Preliminary hearing was waived in all the cases and the defendats jvere bound over to the circuit court, which meets in September, in S3OO in each case. Bond was furnished with Addison Parkison and Thomas Robinson on A. McCoy’s bond; and G. K. Hollingsworth. Ray D. Thompson, H. J. Kannal and J. F. Irwin on Tom’s bond. Both seemed to take their arrests rather cooly, but Tom evidently felt it the keenest, and there were lines about his eyes that showed he was more worried than bis actions would denote. Two more arrests were made Thursday night on affidavits made by Bruce White and Mrs. A. Gangloff. They also waived examination on these cQses and were bound over on bonds famished by same parties as on previous bond for Tom, and D. H. Yeoman and Wm. Wash burn on bond of A. McCoy. Jesse E. Wilson of this city appeared for the defendants IS conjunction with Lafayette attorneys. A great many other affidavits will be filed, it is stated, and more arrests will be made, and they will all include Walter White, the assistant cashie]*. White has not been here for a couple of weeks, and it is said that he is in Chicago. "Warrants have been sent after him it is asserted, and he will be brought back to face the charges against him. The affidavits are made on the strength of the law which provides that when a banker receives a deposit for an insolvent bank he is guilty of embezzlement, and he shall be fined in double the amount embezzled, to which may be added imprisonment of from one to three years; snd thst when be goes into voluntary liquidation or bankrupt within thirty days after receiving such deposit, such action shall be prims facie evidence of insolvency, at the time such deposit was reeeived. T. J. McCoy returned to Lafayette on the milk train Thursday night. B. S. Fendig will pay $1.20 per doz, for No. 1 Squabs.